The present invention relates to a hinge assembly for connecting a cover to a bowl of a grill, more particularly, to a hinge assembly having a simple structure enabling a cover of the grill to be maintained in an open position or to guide the cover to swing to the closed position on the bowl.
An embodiment of an outdoor grill is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,340 comprising a cover 19 and a bowl 7 connected by two hinge sets 31, 31a, each hinge sets including a pair of hinge members 33, 35 and 33a, 35a pivoted separately between the cover 19 and the bowl 7 on inner surface thereof. Each of the hinge members 33, 35 and 33a, 35a has first and second ends, each of the first ends is pivoted on the inner surface of the cover 19, and each of the second ends is pivoted on the inner surface of the bowl 7, which form a linkage system to define the open and closed position between the cover 19 and the bowl 7. When in the fully open position, each of the hinge members 35, 35a rests upon an upper portion of its corresponding first members 33, 33a. However, the whole linkage includes two pairs of hinge members 33, 35 and 33a, 35a, and eight pivot means for pivoting each end of the members, which is not economical to manufacture. Further, in order to achieve a firm open position with the cover 19 upstanding beside an end of the bowl, and to assure the hinge members 35, 35a contact the whole upper portion of the member 33 and 33a, the outer periphery of the members 33, 35 and 33a, 35a, and the very point of pivoting have to be defined precisely, or frictional damage will arise therebetween, and the fitting between the cover and the bowl will fail.
The present invention intends to provide an improved hinge set to mitigate and/or obviate the above-mentioned problems.